FAQ

Q: How do I update to the latest version of teslausb?

A: ssh into the Pi, then run these commands:

sudo -i
/root/bin/setup-teslausb upgrade

(if the above prints: unknown command: upgrade, run /root/bin/setup-teslausb selfupdate first)

Q: How do I upgrade when the root partition is full?

A: If an update/upgrade fails due to lack of space, you may be able to free up enough space by running sudo apt clean.

Q: How do I change the TeslaUSB configuration?

A: some (but not all) configuration settings can be changed by editing /root/teslausb_setup_variables.conf and re-running /root/bin/setup-teslausb. To make the root partition writeable so you can make changes, run /root/bin/remountfs_rw first. To edit the configuration file, use nano /root/teslausb_setup_variables.conf

Q: Do you accept donations?

A: Yes, gladly! Donations allow me to add support for new devices. To donate, Github sponsoring is probably the easiest way. PayPal also works, but be aware of fees.

Q: Do I need to manually clean up the recording drive?

A: No. While recent recordings are not deleted immediately after archiving (so that there's always something to watch in the in-car viewer), TeslaUSB manages the space on the sd card or other storage so that it doesn't fill up.

Q: I ssh'd into the Pi, but am not seeing my network share!?

A: This is normal, the network share is only mounted during archiving.

Q: What are those files with names like "20344A~5.MP4" ?

A: TeslaUSB regularly runs a file system check on the drive image, and these are files that were previously deleted but have been recovered by the file system checker.

Q: Which image should I use?

A: For a new installation on Raspberry Pi, using the latest prebuilt image is recommended. An official Raspberry Pi OS image will also work, but requires a few extra manual steps. For other devices I recommend using Armbian if supported.

Q: That prebuilt image is really old! Why haven't you updated it?

A: The latest teslausb scripts are downloaded at install time, so there is no real need for updated images.

Q: I manually copied some files to the "cam" drive, but they're not being archived!?

A: teslausb only backs up the files that the car wrote, not whatever other files you copied. Also, the archive operation is only performed once every time it connects to the archive server (e.g. when you come home after a drive), not continuously.

Q: I drove around for hours but when I came home it didn't archive anything!?

A: By default, teslausb only backs up Sentry mode and manually saved clips, i.e. the "SentryClips" and "SavedClips" folders, not the "RecentClips" folder that contains the last hour of recordings. There's a configuration option to also archive RecentClips.

Q: I keep getting a message saying that the USB drive is too slow!?

A: this is a known problem, for which there is currently no solution, and apparently happens even when using a real USB drive. Using a Rock Pi 4C+ may help, as it supports USB3 OTG.

Q: I plugged the Pi into a Windows PC and copied a large file to it, and it told me it's only writing 2MB/sec!?

A: Your Windows PC is probably using the "quick removal" policy for accessing removable storage. See here for how to change that to "better performance". Also note that the car doesn't run Windows, so whatever you're seeing in Windows is somewhat irrelevant.